Electric railway



(No Model" R M HUNTER BLBGTBI RAILWAY.

No. 446,834. Patented Peb. 17, 1891.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT. OEEIcE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY,

OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,834, dated February 17, 1891.

Original application filed .Tune 4, 1889, Serial No. 313.095. Divided and this application l'ed November 24, 1890. Serial No. 372,524. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Electric Railways, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention has reference to electric railways; and it consists of certain improvements, which are fully set forth in the follow- 1o ing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

This application (Case 184) is a division of my application, No. 3133095, of .Tune 4., 1889.

My invention comprehends a system of i 5 electric distribution as applied to electric railways in which there are employed extensive line or working conductors, presenting objectionable resistances, possibility of leakages, dic. In electric railways where there are 2o a large number of cars in circuit the resistance of the line-working conductor becomes an item of importance and presents serious obstacles to the proper distribution of the current with the employment of small conductors.

To overcome this difficulty, I connect the generator or generators of electricity with different parts of the same circuit by suitable feeding-wires. By this means I am enabled to locate a central station at a convenient place 3o and supply current by such feed-wires to dif- Vferent distant parts of the same line-working conductor, and thus overcome the detrimental eifect due to connecting the generator or generators at one place only on the circuit.

I do not coniine myself to any system or arrangement of circuits, as they may be greatly modified without departing from my inventor..

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram show- 4o ing an extensive railway system embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of same with two generators in place of one. Fig. 3 is the railway shown in Fig. 2 stretched out, showing the generators separated to a greater distance. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and

7 are cross-sections of different types of raillways to which my invention is applicable,

and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of an electric car adapted to my improved railway.

A and B are the two lines of working-conductors, and may include or not, as desired, the rails.

In Fig. 4 we have the rails as the returnconductor and the positive or out-going conductor suspended. In Fig. 5 we have both cond uctorsin a slotted conduit. In Fig. 7 we have both rails acting as conductors. In Fig. 6 we have a third rail as the outgoing conductor and the traffic-rails as the return.

In Fig. 2 we have a long return-railway in which the conductors A B are looped, and in which separate generators C C supply current to each end of the railway, and the feedingv conductors'for the negative current are united to more readily balance the circuit. The positive feed-wires E, leading from the posi- .tive poles of the generators, connect with the positive line-working conductor A at widelyseparated points, (the entire length of the line.) The negative conductors B may be the rails and earth. In place of the railway being curved at one end, it maybe substantially straight, as indicated in'Fig. 3, in which the two branches of the railway are stretched out and the connection between the two negative poles of the two generators is extended, as at F.

The construction shown ,in Fig. 3 is in no respect different electrically consid ered than that shown in Fig. 2. This Fig. 3 is designed to illustrate the nature of the construction of conductors leading from a source of electric supply and connecting with theline-working conductor at dil't'erent places widely separated electricallyconsidered. As inthe other case, the conductors B B may be the rails and earth. The positive conductors of the various portions ot the same railways or of the different railways, whether they be elevated, placed in a conduit, or arranged upon the surface ot the ground, are arranged so that the current-collector of the car may travel in contact with the conductors ot' positive p0 larity of the respective railways, and the same is true ot the negative conductors. W

In Fig. S is shown an electric car ll, having an electric motor J to propel it. li is an up` wardly-extcnding under-running current-co1- lector for collecting the current from the con ductor A and supplying it to the motor-cir cuit L on the car, the current being regulated by a resistance changer or regulator l. Any form of collector may be used to suit either of the systems shown in Figs. t to 7.

When a large number of cars are on circuit, the operation of the resistance-changers I on the various cars constantly varies the current ilowing through the motors, and this varies the demand for current. "When large numbers ot cars congregate at one portion of the railway, it takes considerable current, and if it were not for the local feeders Stich congregation of cars might tind too little current to be properly operative. There are varieties of contingencies which must be met in practical operation ot an electric railway einploying line-conductors, and those specified in this application are perhaps among the most important.

I do not contine myself to any particular arrangement of circuits, as they may be modified in various ways without departing from the principles of my invention, and likewise the car may have its current-collector varied t0 suit the particular system of railway employed.

llaving now described my invent ion, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination of two sets of working-conductors for two railway-tracks in which the said conductors of similar polarity connect and are adapted to receive a cnrrentcollectin g device of a car 'traveling on either railway, whereby the said cnrrent-collecting device may run from the conductors of one railway to the conductors ot the other railway, an electric generator, electric connections connecting` the positive pole of the generator with the positive condnctors of the two railways at adistance from their connection and the negative pole with the negative conductors, and an electricallypropelled vehicle having a'cturent-eollecting device adapted to travel in connection with the conductors of either track.

2. In an electric railway, the combina-tion of two railway-tracks connecting with each other, so that an electrically-propelled vehin with the two line-comluctors ot the two connecting railways, and a traveling caradapted to run over one railway to the other,prov1d ed with an upwardly-extending contact device for making a traveling connection with the suspended conductor for supplying current to a motor on the car.

2l. ln an electric railway, the combination of two sections of track connected at a distant point by means et a curved section, whereby a car may travel along one track around the curve and back upon the other track, a line-conductor insulated from the track extending along the two sections of railway and curved portion thereof in a continuous manner, an electric generator, and an electrical connection between the positive pole ot the generator and the conductor arranged along the railways at two distant points from the curved portion andfrom cach other.

1t. ln an electric railway, the combination of two main pairs of working-condnctors and two generators to supply electricity thereto, having their poles of one polarity coupled together and to the two main-line conductors of like polarity, and the remaining similar poles ot the two generators connected, respectively, with the two other line-eondnctors.

.In an electric railway, the combination of two main pairs ot working-conductors having their distant ends of similar polarity con nectcd together to forni a loop, and two gencraters to supply electricity thereto, having their poles ot' one polarity coupled together and to the two main-line conductors of like polarity at their other end, and the remain ing similar poles of the two generators conA neeted, respectively, with the two other lino conductors.

t5. In an electric raihvay, the combination of a line-conductor extending along said railway, electrically-propelled cars receiving current from said line-conductor, two or more independent enerators ot' electricity, and independent connecting feeding-conductors between said generators and different distantlylocated parts of the line-conductor.

7. In a railway, a continuous linecondu'ctor extending along said railway, in combination with an electrically-propelled car receiving current trom said line-conductor, two or more generators of electricity located at a central station, and independent feeding-conductors extending from similar poles ot said generat-ors to distant portions ot the saine continuous line-conductor.

8. In an electric 1ailway using the rails as a return-circuiti, the combination of the rails,

IIO

a suspended line-conductor extending along' the railway, but insulated from the rails, traveling electrically-propelled cars making electrlcal connection with the rails and having an upwardly extending current collector making; connection'with the suspended line-conductor, two or more generators of electricity, and feeding-circuits connecting one of the poles of the generators With the rails and the other poles with distantportions of the lineconductor.

9. In an electric railway using' the rails as a return-circuit, the combination of the rails, a suspended line-conductor extending parallel With the rails, but insulated therefrom, travelingelectrically-propelled cars making electrical connection with the rails and lineconductor, two or more generators of electricity located at a central station, and feedingcircuits connecting one of the poles of the In testimony of which invention I have here- 35 unto set my hand.

, R. M. HUNTER. Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, S. T. YERKES. 

